Zhao Xingkong
Old Freak Wang felt as if he were being pricked by needles all over his body under his gaze. The feeling was even more humiliating than being slapped hundreds of times in public.
"Snort!"
He slammed his hand on the armrest, and the armrest, made of a special material, cracked under his angry blow.
"Don't be too happy yet!" Old Freak Wang practically spat out these words through gritted teeth, his voice a low growl laced with bravado, "The competition isn't over yet! Zhao Xingkong... our Ancient Martial Arts School's Zhao Xingkong hasn't even made a move!"
He seemed to have grasped at the last straw, his eyes bloodshot.
"This kid has a strong foundation, but he's only been cultivating for a year! He just caught everyone off guard by using his strange techniques! In the face of the true Ancient Martial Arts path, all unorthodox methods are nothing but illusions!"
"Zhao Xingkong will expose him for what he truly is!"
At the same time.
The Lost Divine Domain, on the other side.
On a small mountain of bones formed from the remains of countless giant beasts.
A young man, dressed in the simplest white Martial Dao uniform, with a handsome face and a calm and composed demeanor, slowly opened his eyes.
It was Zhao Xingkong, the chief disciple of the Ancient Martial Arts School, who was known for his undefeated legend.
He awoke from his meditation, not looking at his surroundings, but instead glancing down at the leaderboard on his Student Badge.
Eyes fell directly on the name that held a commanding lead at the top of the list.
[First Place: Chen Fan, Points: 28800]
[Second Place: Jian Wuchen, Points: 9600]
[Third Place: Zhao Xingkong, Points: 9550]
Looking at that terrifying number that was far ahead, almost three times that of the second place, Zhao Xingkong showed no shock or fear whatsoever.
Instead, a long-unseen, fiery light appeared.
That was the excitement of meeting a worthy opponent.
It was the hunter's joy at finally finding the tiger.
"Chen Fan..."
He stood up, dusted off imaginary dust, his movements calm and unhurried.
"Interesting."
He spoke softly to himself, his voice not loud, but with a quality as solid as metal or stone.
"Finally... someone has come who can lift my spirits."
As soon as he finished speaking, he didn't hesitate for a moment. His gaze was sharp as lightning, precisely locking onto the direction of the Myriad Beast Valley.
That place is where the competition narrows down, and it's also the final gathering place for all the strongest competitors.
He knew that the boy Chen Fan would definitely be there.
The next second.
"Call out!"
Zhao Xingkong's figure transformed into a pure, fierce, and unstoppable white streak, tearing through the sky and shooting straight towards the Myriad Beast Valley!
Almost at the same time.
In the spectator stands, all the Chief Instructor's attention was drawn to the unusual activity on the holographic map of the arena.
The point of light representing third place in the score suddenly burst forth with dazzling light after a long period of silence, and then drew a straight trajectory with an astonishingly unstoppable speed.
Its target was the light that was leisurely heading towards the Myriad Beast Valley, carrying several small points of light, and ranked first in points!
At this moment, all the teachers and students of the entire Star River Martial Academy who were paying attention to this competition held their breath.
All eyes were fixed on the map of the Lost Divine Domain.
Two of the most dazzling points of light: one moves leisurely forward, like a god-king surveying his territory; the other pursues swiftly, like a sharp sword piercing the sky.
In the heart of the Myriad Beast Valley, the appearance of two figures instantly plunged the area, which had just been in chaos due to the shrinking arena, into an eerie silence.
Zhao Xingkong's figure descended from the sky like a straight javelin, landing with only a slight thud.
He stood steadily a hundred meters in front of Chen Fan, without any dazzling aura or strange phenomena of laws around him, only a pure and fierce Martial Dao will that seemed capable of supporting the heavens and the earth with his physical body.
This will spread out, formless and intangible, yet as heavy as a mountain.
All the participants still in the arena, no matter where they were or what they were doing, instinctively felt at that moment that pressure that sent shivers down their spines.
That was an instinctive warning at the level of life.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the center of the valley with either shock or awe.
Immediately, as if receiving some silent command, they began to retreat silently and quickly, clearing a sufficiently large battlefield for the two in the center.
"Ancient Martial Arts School, Zhao Xingkong."
Zhao Xingkong spoke, his voice steady as a mountain, each word like a giant hammer striking an ancient bell, powerful and clear.
He stared intently at Chen Fan, his eyes devoid of the jealousy or contempt he had shown towards his previous opponents, and devoid of any hostility, only a pure and unadulterated admiration and fighting spirit.
"Your path is very strong. It's worth my full effort."
Chen Fan looked at the other person, whose youthful face, which always carried a hint of nonchalance, now showed no trace of its usual nonchalance.
He could sense that within the seemingly ordinary body of the other party lay a Primordial Era, ferocious dragon that could awaken at any moment. The Martial Dao will that had been condensed to the extreme even made his Life-and-Death Dao Blood begin to heat up slightly.
He nodded seriously, his amber eyes clear and solemn, showing an equal scrutiny towards a peer for the first time.
"The Life School, Chen Fan"
I also admire your Martial Dao spirit.
This expression of appreciation is not a joke, but the highest recognition that a peer of equal standing can give.
The moment he finished speaking, Zhao Xingkong moved.
He didn't use any mysterious movement techniques; he simply took a step forward.
In one step, a hundred meters disappeared in an instant.
His figure appeared in front of Chen Fan in an instant, and a seemingly ordinary straight punch, simple and unadorned, went straight for Chen Fan's face.
However, this punch contained the supreme essence of Ancient Martial Arts School: using force to overcome all techniques.
Wherever the fist struck, the space in front of it creaked and groaned under the weight, twisting into visible folds.
An indomitable will locked onto Chen Fan, as if determined to reduce everything about him to dust.
Faced with this powerful and pure punch, Chen Fan's eyes lit up.
He did not attempt to resolve the issue using profound principles of Life-and-Death Dao Principles as he had done before.
That is an insult to the pure way of Martial Dao.
He also raised his small, white fist to meet the attack.
Within his body, the vast galaxy composed of 8,888 drops of Life-and-Death Dao Blood surged wildly at this moment, all its power highly compressed and condensed into a single point, unseen and unassuming.
That tiny fist seemed to contain the entire power of a universe from its birth to its Annihilation.
"Boom!"
Two fists, one big and one small, collided solidly together.
There was no earth-shattering explosion of light, no clash of colorful energies.
There was only one deep, muffled sound, as if a god had struck Primordial Era war drum with a giant hammer.
The next instant, a visible white ring of air exploded outwards from the point where their fists clashed!
Wherever the shockwave passed, a thick layer of the rock-hard ground of the Myriad Beast Valley was scraped away!
Chen Fan and Zhao Xingkong each let out a muffled groan, their bodies trembling violently at the same time, before they were uncontrollably sent flying backwards for hundreds of meters.